By Joe Hobby
Somewhere not far away, there’s a 10-year-old boy who will soon have one of the most memorable days of his young life. Years from now, he will look forward to the time when he can share the same experience with his children. This day will become a fond memory because this will be the day he attends his first college football game.
It will begin on Friday evening – the night before the big day. So, naturally, his Mom will make him go to bed early, reminding him that “tomorrow’s going to be a long day.” But nervous anticipation keeps sleep from coming quickly.
Saturday morning, he’s up early, already dressed in his team’s colors, before he comes down for breakfast. His Mom smiles and reminds him that he never does this on a school day. He takes his place in the car within the hour, and they are on their way. He can’t help but notice all the other cars on the highway are full of people wearing the same colors he has on.
When they get within a few miles of the campus, his father gets off the main highway and begins taking an intricate series of turns and backroads. Dad informs him that this is a time-tested shortcut and will get them to their parking space in the least amount of time. For once, his Dad is spot on. In short order, they pull into a church lot and back into their parking space. Almost immediately, they are warmly greeted by the people on either side. It reminds him of Thanksgiving when your relatives gather together for the first time in a year. And in a way, it is. He learns that his family has used this same spot for many years. Mom dutifully unfolds a card table, and soon every square inch of it is covered in food. It looks like an all-you-can-eat buffet with fried chicken, burgers, deli sandwiches, baked beans, potato salad, chips, and desserts.
After a couple of hours of eating, drinking, and socializing, Dad informs the group it’s time to head out. Game time! They walk a few blocks, turn a corner, and the young man is amazed at what he sees. Hundreds, thousands, maybe millions of tents cover what seems to be every grassed inch of the campus. The smell of grilling food fills the autumn air. People are tossing footballs and frisbees. Music is playing loudly. There are even people watching football games on television. Everyone seems so happy. It’s also a bit unnerving for a 10-year-old. He’s never seen this many people in one place before. He holds his Dad’s hand tightly.
No stopping now – they meander thru the makeshift city and continue walking towards the stadium. Soon it’s only a block away. Another few minutes and it stands before him. He has seen it on television many times, but TV cameras can’t capture the size and scope of this magnificent structure.
It’s concrete, brick, and steel – and it’s beautiful. Giant bronze statues of past heroes flank the entrances. People buzz around it like honeybees circling a hive. This is what ancient Roman children must have felt like the first time they saw the Coliseum.
Once his ticket is scanned, he walks through the gate – he’s inside the stadium! Quickly, his family heads up the ramp to their seats. It’s several levels high, but that doesn’t matter. He’s almost running now. On the way up, he occasionally catches a glimpse of the playing field. His heart begins to race.
Finally, they reach the correct portal, and he walks into the sunlight, where he comes face to face with thousands of people. Giant screens are playing videos from previous games accompanied by music that sounds like a call to battle. As if on cue, the band spreads out over the entire field and begins playing the fight song just as they reach their seats. No need to sit now because 100,000 people are standing and raising their voices in unison. It’s the loudest, most wonderful thing he’s ever heard. The stadium seems like a living thing. He joins in, but his screams are lost in the crowd’s hurrahs. In that instant, his team bursts onto the field, and the noise becomes even louder. It’s like standing in front of a jet engine. He can’t hear his father speak. The game is moments away from kickoff, and he’s there to see it in person for the first time in his life.
When the SEC says, “It just means more,” they’re right. In the south, college football resonates through our bloodlines. Like cavemen who passed on hunting skills to their young offspring, alumni and rabid fans eagerly pass on love for their school to their children at an early age. It goes from great grandparents to grandparents to parents to their children – to quote Hank Williams Jr., “It’s a family tradition.”
The excitement, the pageantry, the history – you can’t beat it. College football is perhaps the greatest spectacle in all of sport. The NFL is a better brand of football, but I’ll take the college game every time.
Especially if it involves my team, my parents would be proud.
Joe is a comedian, an author, and a blogger. Visit https://mylifeasahobby.blogspot.com/?m=1. For more. Follow him on Facebook at Joe Hobby Comedian – Writer.